Boston’s Changing Neighborhoods

THU, FEB 4, 2016
(1:50:31)

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Boston is experiencing unprecedented levels of development and growth, and our neighborhoods are changing rapidly as a result. In addition to substantial changes to the streetscape, communities throughout the city are experiencing population growth and shifting demographics. In this session, a panel of experts discuss what these changes mean for Boston’s neighborhoods, and how residents can preserve a community’s character while embracing the future. Keynote speaker Lance Freeman addresses factors that contribute to neighborhood change, including displacement, revitalization and the central role of preservation in maintaining vibrant neighborhoods. Photo by Rick Berk via Wikimedia Commons

Lance Freeman is a Professor in the Urban Planning program at Columbia University in New York City. His research focuses on affordable housing, gentrification, ethnic and racial stratification in housing markets, and the relationship between the built environment and wellbeing. Professor Freeman teaches courses on community development, housing policy and research methods. Dr. Freeman has published several articles in refereed journals on issues related to neighborhood change, urban poverty, housing policy, urban sprawl and residential segregation. He is also the author of the book _There Goes the Hood: Views of Gentrification from the Ground Up_book link.

Japonica Brown-Saracino is an ethnographer who specializes in urban and community sociology, cultural sociology, and the study of race, ethnicity and sexuality. In 2004, City and Community published her article, “Social Preservationists and the Quest for Authentic Community,” which draws on her study of four gentrifying communities in New England and Chicago and introduces her concept of “social preservation.” She further explores these topics in her book, A Neighborhood That Never Changes: Gentrification, Social Preservation, and the Search for Authenticity, which received the 2010-2011 Urban Affairs Association Best Book Award. She serves on the Boston University Initiative on Cities’ advisory board.

Peter Roth is the founder and president of the New Atlantic Development Corporation, a Boston-based company developing housing and mixed-use infill projects in the city and surrounding suburbs. His work includes a mix of historic/adaptive reuse and new construction projects, with a focus on community integration and affordable housing. Trained at MIT in architecture and real estate development, he has national experience in the area of industrial redevelopment, and has focused most recently on urban mixed-income housing and adaptive reuse. In addition to his development activity, Roth teaches in the Master’s degree program in Real Estate Development at MIT and serves on the Boston Preservation Alliance’s Board of Directors.

Dana Whiteside oversees the implementation of projects and programs that advance the Boston Redevelopment Authority’s mission. He works with staff at the agency to complete various planning initiatives such as the Mattapan Economic Development Initiative, the Dudley Vision Project and the Roxbury Strategic Master Plan. Whiteside is part of the Cabinet Staff within the Mayor’s Office of Economic Development providing support for initiatives to expand the economic base of Boston neighborhoods. He also facilitates completion of housing projects through the Article 80 process, serves as the agency’s representative for the Neighborhood Housing Trust (NHT), and manages the agency’s process for review and completion of Housing Creation Proposals.